The lower house of Nepal’s parliament on Saturday approved a new map of the country, including areas disputed with India, the speaker of the national legislature said, Trend reports citing Reuters.
The move signals a hardening of Nepal’s position over a decades-long border row that has strained ties between the South Asian neighbours.
India’s foreign ministry rejected Nepal’s new map, arguing that the addition of Indian territory is not based on historical fact or evidence.
“It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues,” foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said in a statement.
Agni Prasad Sapkota, Speaker of Nepal’s House of Representatives, said the new map was approved by 258 out of 275 members of parliament, exceeding the required two thirds majority. There were no votes against.
The map must also be passed by the National Assembly, the parliament’s upper chamber, and approved by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari before it becomes a part of the constitution.